10 Years on 10 years in the business, finding inspiration in dreams, and embarking on the Carnival of Madness Tour

Hailing from Knoxville, Tennessee, 10 Years is a modern hard rock band that is aiming to make its mark in rock music with its latest record, “Feeding the Wolves,” which follows 2005’s breakout record, “The Autumn Effect,” and 2008’s, “Division.” Before they head out on this summer’s Carnival of Madness tour, alongside Shinedown, Sevendust, and Chevelle, drummer Brian Vodinh sat down to answer a few questions for us at Rock and Roll Report.

Q: Thanks for taking the time for the interview! So your band is actually coming up on 10 years of existence – how has the ride been so far?

A: Actually, we first got together and formed the band in 1998, then played our first show in April of 1999, so it certainly has been quite a ride. We have definitely had our ups and downs, but being in a band is just like any other kind of relationship.

Q: The new record comes out August 31st and is called “Feeding the Wolves.” What is your primary goal for this record, and who thought up the title?

A: Our primary goal for this album is simply just to make our mark in rock music and let people know that we are a band that is here to stay. We have made some changes in the band recently and for this first time in many years, if ever, we are totally on the same page. This feels amazing! We are firing on all cylinders now and want to share our music with the world. We also feel that “Feeding the Wolves” is an album that was 12 years in the making. All of our experiences leading up to this album played a major role in its creation.

In regard to the title, it comes from a lyric in the song “Shoot It Out” and just seemed insanely appropriate, considering our headspace and other elements that we have experienced lately.

Q: “Feeding the Wolves” sounds edgier and darker than anything the band has done to date. Is this the direction you see the band continuing in?

A: Yes, I do feel that this direction is something that we will continue to elaborate on. But, I do have to also say that 10 Years is a band that is comprised of some very unique and creative individuals, and the sound can be majorly influenced by the headspace of each member at any specific time of writing. We have always wanted to make a heavier and edgier album, though, so “Feeding the Wolves” is that album for us.

Q: The first single, “Shoot It Out,” is awesome – a full-out sonic attack that no doubt gets everyone revved up at the show – tell us more about why this song was chosen as the lead single, and describe the inspiration behind it.

A: “Shoot it Out” is a song that came together incredibly quick and was the result of pure frustration about the industry that we are trying to survive in. People like us get into music because we love creating and performing. After the passion turns professional and you have mouths to feed and mortgage payments to make, all of a sudden things become a little different. Also, the pressure that comes along with being a signed and touring musician is pretty relentless. “Shoot it Out” was written very early in the writing process for “Feeding the Wolves” and is about this pressure from the industry. When we came off the road and knew that it was time to start writing a new album, we were all kind of freaking out a little bit because we knew that so many people were going to be looking over our shoulders and telling us what they thought were hit songs and things like that. There are definitely too many cooks in the kitchen of rock n’ roll! So, we were feeling this pressure a whole lot, especially me, and “Shoot it Out” actually came to me in a dream that woke me from a deep sleep. I’m convinced that I must have been thinking about these lyrics or the melody subconsciously prior to this incident, but I literally jumped up out of bed at like 3 or 4 in the morning one night and just started singing the chorus of this song. I immediately got my cell phone and used the voice recorder to capture the idea, and what I mumbled at 3 or 4 in the morning that night was exactly how we kept that chorus. The same melody and lyrics and everything.

This song was chosen as the first single from our new album because the band believed in the song and fought tooth and nail to make this our first single. We have had a history of being unhappy with our single selection, so this time around we made up our minds and said this has to be it. Luckily, other people also agreed!

Q: What are your thoughts on what the second and third singles should be?

A: If only I could predict which ones would be hits! I’m really not sure. We really love songs like “Fix Me” and “Waking Up the Ghost”. Also, we have a song called “Don’t Fight It” that I think could be a single in the future. We just want to make sure that some of our heavier songs get to see the light of day to show everyone out there that we are a heavy rock band at heart. Sure, we have released some lighter songs, but heavy music is in our blood.

Q: If you could choose one word to describe the new record what would it be, and why?

A: Powerful. I say this because I sat down with one of my best friends a while back and let him hear the album and this is the word that he kept saying during the listening process. We really tried to make every song be impactful. Whether the song is heavy, or light, or mid-tempo; we wanted every song to really touch the listener and just be powerful.

Q: How was the tour with Flyleaf? Any interesting stories or unforgettable moments?

A: The tour with Flyleaf was great. We respect that band a lot and think it’s great that they have had so much success. I don’t think that any one story really sticks out from that tour, but we had a great time with them and I’m sure we’ll tour with them again at some point.

Q: Next you’ll be in the “Carnival of Madness Tour” with Shinedown, Sevendust and Chevelle – what an incredible show this is going to be! How did this tour come about?

A: This tour is made up of all bands that share In De Goot Entertainment as management. I know that our management company has wanted to put together a tour like this that showcases all of its bands for a while now [and] it just seemed like the summer of 2010 was the right time to do this. With so many great bands all in the same family, so to speak, it was kind of a no-brainer!

Q: What lies ahead for the band in its second 10 years?

A: We just want to continue to make music that we believe in, and continue to win over new fans. We want our music career to be a marathon, not a sprint, so we are o.k. with success if it comes in little doses at a time! Our fans really do mean the world to us, so as long as we can make music that we love, and share it with our loyal followers, we will be a group of happy fellas!